In the performance of many sports, including tennis, racquet ball, badminton and golf, for example, racquets or clubs must be securely and comfortably grasped and manipulated. In cases with the more rigorously athletic sports, the manipulative grasping of a single racquet may continue almost uninterruptedly for hours.
The handles of high quality racquets and clubs are usually covered with leather, processed cowhide leather being most preferably used. Such processed leather is prepared to maximize tactile properties such as suppleness and frictional texture.
When leather covered handles of sports implements such as, for example, racquet ball racquets and tennis racquets, are subjected to rigorous usage, the handles often become coated with oils and perspiration from the hands of those playing these sports. This oil and perspiration coating decreases the suppleness and frictional texture of the leather handles, sometimes to the extent of negatively affecting sureness of the player's grip. Although leather predominates as the preferred covering for sports implement handles, other at least partially porous coverings such as certain cloths or plastics may sometimes be utilized and sometimes display similar problems due to oil and perspiration.
There are four general categories of previously available grip-enhancement products. These categories are: powders and sprays; disposable overwraps; synthetic replacement grips; and slip-on grips. While each of these grip-enhancement products may produce useful results, particularly in unique playing conditions, it is generally acknowledged that none of them give a result favorably comparable with a fresh, top-quality leather grip. When some commercially available powders and sprays have been used with tennis racquets, there has been reported a tendency to produce one of the following results: no enhancement of leather tactile characteristics; temporary and less than optimal enhancement of leather tactile characteristics; or an overenhancement of the leather covered handle tactile characteristics, namely a stickiness which inhibited shifts from forehand to backhand grips.
The composition of the present invention and method of use thereof provide a manner of virtually rejuvenating the tactile characteristics of a leather covering, without adding unwanted bulkiness or stickiness to said leather covering. Further, the use of the present invention also inhibits hand perspiration during rigorous play, also enhancing sureness of grip. These qualities resulting from the use of the present invention are notably superior to gripping qualities obtainable with previously utilized powders, sprays or other leather covering emollients. The present invention may also be applicable in enhancing the tactile characteristics of other types of handle coverings, if such handle coverings are at least partially porous and have their tactile characteristics diminished by oils or perspiration.
One special component of the present invention is a nonionic polymeric ethoxylate surfactant ("degreasing" agent), which appears to substantially remove oils from a leather covering. Another important component of the present invention is an anti-perspirant, to inhibit hand perspiration from forming during play.